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Any way to fix the articulation issues with the BBP Cylons?

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  • Werewolf
    Inhuman
    • Jul 14, 2003
    • 14616

    Any way to fix the articulation issues with the BBP Cylons?

    The BBP Cylons look fantastic. They're really a striking looking figures. Just awesome. But, unfortunately, they are about as poseable as a brick.

    The figures can't raise their arms because of the design of the chest armor and the hard plastic gauntlets allow only the absolute tiniest range of motion at the elbows. Not enough to raise the blaster. Only enough to have the elbows very slightly bent as the arms hang down straight at the figure's side. Also the hard plastic chest armor goes down so far past the waist that it blocks all hip articulation.

    Is there a way to get the armor off, without breaking it, and shave it down a bit so the figure can, you know, move?
    Last edited by Werewolf; Apr 11, '14, 10:00 PM. Reason: typos
    You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...
  • GUYx1
    FORMER MEGO COLLECTOR
    • Apr 20, 2005
    • 549

    #2
    Yes. As I stated before. We can rebuild them. Better Stronger Faster.
    After going about this many ways, I found SIMPLE is best.
    THe armor was put on wrong. GLUED on in many cases. The thick black stretchsuit was trashed brom being glued to wrist pieces. Replaced it with a dyed vintage batman outfit (much thinner material)
    I had to destroy the forearms of the body as they were GLUED to the stretch suit. Swapped for a much better doc mego swivel body.
    Swivel body keeps the bands on the arms and gives a better fit. As long as you put the WRIST under the wrist band, the gauntlets actually fit properly and allow posing.
    I also removed the diaper armor. I cut the squares from the belt and glued them onto a piece of pleather for am actual belt vs the chunky diaper.
    Had squares left over after resizing it to fit.
    Totally posable now.
    The chest armor - I made a thin razor cut at each side of the breast plate (attached to front neck piece). I used a tiny bit of heat to bend the neckpiece + plate closer to the body.
    Then after putting it all together, I glued the neck piece back again.



    Weird thing is that the figure has a totally different stance after you free him from his badly assembled armor and put them on a new body

    Last edited by GUYx1; Apr 12, '14, 1:09 AM.
    Cheers,
    Guyx1

    Comment

    • Werewolf
      Inhuman
      • Jul 14, 2003
      • 14616

      #3
      That looks really good!

      I was thinking the problem with gauntlets was they were shoved too far up the arm. So, that makes sense. I still do wonder about the addition about hard plastic sculpted ribbing over the lower torso. Besides blocking the hip articulation, it's not even accurate.

      The swivel arm is a nice touch. I wonder why Starbuck and Apollo got swivel biceps bit not the Cylons? It would have allowed them to hold their laser rifles two handed. Seems like a no brainer.

      Not many of the retro licenses are my cup of tea. But I do like me some classic BSG. I saved up and picked up the whole set of them this week. Opened the tin set with Muffit first and he broke the second I took him out of the package. That was kind of a bummer. I also still wonder about releasing the Tucuna singer over an Ovion, Baltar, Boomer, Tigh, Imperious Leader, etc in the set. I think the Ovion especially would have been a good fit for the set.

      Oh, well. Even with all the issues they are still better than the Trendmasters BSG figures.
      Last edited by Werewolf; Apr 12, '14, 2:20 AM.
      You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

      Comment

      • Hedji
        Citizen of Gotham
        • Nov 17, 2012
        • 7246

        #4
        Originally posted by Werewolf
        Opened the tin set with Muffit first and he broke the second I took him out of the package. That was kind of a bummer.

        Hah! Precisely what happened to me too! The Cylon was my first BSG figure I bought. I remember being so disappointed with it, it took me a while to decide to pick up the rest. I'm glad I did, but that Cylon is not much fun to play with. Beyond the obvious poseability issues, I hate the way the hands don't hold the rifle. I feel like I'm going to break it trying to jam the rifle between those rigid fingers. And the loose wrists don't help either. Really great looking figure that is a hot mess of articulation.

        Comment

        • PNGwynne
          Master of Fowl Play
          • Jun 5, 2008
          • 19445

          #5
          Very helpful tutorial--thank you Guy.
          WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

          Comment

          • enyawd72
            Maker of Monsters!
            • Oct 1, 2009
            • 7904

            #6
            I see another improvement that could be made...swap out the Cylon hands for regular or gloved black Mego hands, and replace the ribbed part on the back of the hand by cutting pieces from the leftover diaper.

            Then he can hold that rifle!

            Comment

            • Chris
              Persistent Member
              • Dec 23, 2009
              • 2279

              #7
              A Zica body V1 is a great way to improve this figure. The painted head/chrome body is still a problem that I haven't solved.
              If a Mego figure of God did not exist, it would be necessary for EMCE to invent him.

              Comment

              • GUYx1
                FORMER MEGO COLLECTOR
                • Apr 20, 2005
                • 549

                #8
                There are any number of ways to RE BUILD a mego.
                This is my simplified version. ALmost all original except the arms and suit.

                Chrome plating a single head is not that hard, we just don't have what you would need
                just lying around the house.
                As I recall this resolution has been mentioned a lot on micronaut items.

                Send out your toy parts to the professionals - They seem to be aware of the
                toy plating concept these days. Done deal.

                Last edited by GUYx1; Apr 12, '14, 10:56 AM.
                Cheers,
                Guyx1

                Comment

                • fallensaviour
                  Talkative Member
                  • Aug 28, 2006
                  • 5620

                  #9
                  Now that looks fantastic!!!
                  What a major game changer.
                  Thanks for the tutorial I avoided the cylons because they looked like a hot mess.
                  Now I must get me some cylons!!!
                  “When you say “It’s hard”, it actually means “I’m not strong enough to fight for it”. Stop saying its hard. Think positive!”

                  Comment

                  • Chris
                    Persistent Member
                    • Dec 23, 2009
                    • 2279

                    #10
                    Originally posted by GUYx1

                    Chrome plating a single head is not that hard, we just don't have what you would need
                    just lying around the house.
                    The problem is the Cylon head plastic is too soft to chrome. You can't chrome resin either. I sent the head out to Chrome Tech and they sent it back.

                    I think the Joyride Studios Cylon head would work as a replacement. The problem is Joyride Studios' Cylon is pretty expensive.
                    If a Mego figure of God did not exist, it would be necessary for EMCE to invent him.

                    Comment

                    • GUYx1
                      FORMER MEGO COLLECTOR
                      • Apr 20, 2005
                      • 549

                      #11
                      I myself have only worked on chrome plating kitchenware in a factory.
                      We took thin chrome sheets and it went over the plastic like a thin shrinkydink.
                      Guess Companies in the USA push back on that sorta thing.
                      I have soft vinyls from Japan that were Chromed.
                      If you warm them up too much, the chrome gets easily damaged and flakes off.
                      But the Japanese do it and they don't seem to care.

                      PS - Joyride studios head is too small.
                      Sorry.
                      Cheers,
                      Guyx1

                      Comment

                      • Chris
                        Persistent Member
                        • Dec 23, 2009
                        • 2279

                        #12
                        Thx for the tip about the Joyride head! I'll have to look into chroming the head myself.
                        If a Mego figure of God did not exist, it would be necessary for EMCE to invent him.

                        Comment

                        • Werewolf
                          Inhuman
                          • Jul 14, 2003
                          • 14616

                          #13
                          I need some help.

                          My silver Cylon fell of my computer desk last night. Most of the armor cracked apart. So I figured, I might as well start customizing it. On the upside, since most of the armor started to crack apart it made it easier to remove. On the downside, the bottom of the right sleeve is glued to the arm. Is there away to dissolve the glue? Because I want to save the original tights.
                          You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

                          Comment

                          • Werewolf
                            Inhuman
                            • Jul 14, 2003
                            • 14616

                            #14
                            Okay, I checked the super glue site and it said you can get super glue out of fabric with nail polish remover with acetone. So, I'm gonna give that a try. Just have to be extra careful and water it down a bit because it can bleach fabric.
                            You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

                            Comment

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